Braiding machine



Dec. 28, 1943. DAV|$ 2,337,977

BRAIDING MACHINE Filed July 15, 1942 Patented Dec. 28, 1943 BRAIDING MACHINE Edward A. Davis, Akron,

B. F. Goodrich Company,

Ohio, assignor to The New York, N. Y., a

corporation of New York Application July 15, 1942, SerialNo. 450,947

6 Claims.

This invention relates to multiple strand braiding, and more especially to the tensioning of the strands.

It has been found desirable to braid bands each I consisting of a number of parallel strands of wires or cords rather than single strands, but in prior attempts difficulties have been encountered especially in that uniform tension on the bobbins has not been effectively provided, resulting in over-tensioning of some strands of the wires or cords with consequent stretching or breaking of these strands or in failing to provide sufficient tension in certain strands resulting in looseness of these strands in the braid.

The present invention aims foregoing and other difficulties.

The principal objects of the invention are to provide for improved manipulation of bands having multiple strands, to provide uniform tension of the strands, to prevent over-tensioning and breaking of the strands, to provide automatic adjustment of individual strand tension, to-provide concurrent adjustment of a group of strands, and to provide reliability of operation and economy of materials.

These and other objects will appear from the following description and the accompanying drawing.

Of the drawing,

Fig. l is a plan view of a portion of a circular braiding machine constructed'in accordance with and embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of one of the shuttles, the raceway being indicated by broken lines.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation thereof, looking from the left of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an elevation of a modification of the shuttle of the invention.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view '6--6 of Fig. 5.

In the embodiments of the invention illustrated in the drawing, a plurality of bobbins are arranged on a single spindle of a shuttle for group tensioning and are tensioned uniformly and simultaneously by tension means thereon. Provision is made for adjusting the tensions of the individual strands automatically.

The numeral l designates the raceway of a braiding machine and I2, grooves of generally cycloidal shape along which the carriers l4 are driven by gearing (not shown). Strands l drawn from the carriers are braided about the tubular core H5 at the center to overcome the thereof, taken on line thereof, taken on line l3 are the intersecting of the raceway, the strands being guided over a ring 16a which directs them to the braiding position without great braiding position, due to location of the ring at a mean position.

The carrier in one form of the invention is shown at 14 in Figs. 2 to 4 and has a spindle H for retaining a plurality of bobbins l8, I9, 20, 2| in side-by-side relation. such that each bobbin can turn freely with respect to the spindle. The free end of the spindle has a cross-slot 22 for slidably receiving a key 23 whereby the bobbins may beretained against removal. The spindle slot is open to the end of the spindle. The key has a slot 24 therein ter-. minating near one end of the key which is rounded. A cross pin 25' extends through the slotted portions of the key and the spindle. The arrangement is such that by sliding the key radially until its rounded end is adjacent the pin 25, the key may be rotated to a position where it clears the holes in the bobbins for bobbin removal. Discs 45, 46, 41 as brake lining are loosely mounted between the bobbins so that each bobbin acts as a brake against adjoining ones and induces rotation thereof.

For additionally tensioning the bobbins, a standard 30 is fixed to the carrier adjacentthe bobbins and has a plurality of parallel spacedapart webs 3|, 32, 33, 34, 35 having apertures therethrough in alignment to receive a shaft 36 arranged parallel to the axis of the bobbins. Between each pair of webs is a bell crank, for example 31, on one arm of which is an arcuate brake shoe 38 adapted to frictionally engage the rim'of an adjacent bobbin. A torsion coil-spring 39 encompasses the shaft 36 and has one end thereof fixed to the bell crank 31 and the other end thereof fixed to the adjacent web 35. The arrangement is such that the spring urges; the brake shoe radially against the bobbin. A second bell crank lever 40 is pivoted on a pin-4l arranged at right angles to shaft 36 and has an arm 40a having an eye 42 for guiding a bight of the strand from the bobbin. The other arm 40b of the bell crank 40 extends substantially axially of the bobbin and bears against an armof the brake shoe bell crank 31 as at 43. A guide eye 44 is fixed to the free end of standard 3!]. The strand l5 extends from bobbin 2| through eye 42 and outwardly with other strands through eye 44. The arrangement is such that if the tension in strand l5 becomes excessive arm 40 is difierencein the lengths extending from any position of the carrier to the The arrangement is of friction material, such drawn toward eye 4d against the tension of spring 39 the brake shoe 3B is momentarily lifted away from the bobbin, relieving the excessive tension. At the same time the bobbin is frictionally held against overrun by the adjacent friction disc.

Each bobbin has a corresponding brake and the strands from each of the bobbins are led through the eye ie, the arms id of the various bell cranks being offset in succession as seen in Fig. 4 so that the reaches of the strands clear each other. The strands from each carrier are laid in parallel in the braid and any excessive tension of an individual strand is automatically adjusted to equalize tension of the group of strands.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 a carrier 5t has a spindle 5i fixed thereto as by a pin it. This spindle is round in cross section, a hollow quill i8 is rotatably mounted thereon and is flattened on two opposite sides as at its, 5%. It has an enlarged head at its free end and is threaded near its other end as at 760 to engage a threaded nut 52. A series of discs 53, 55, 5t, 5?, 55, are slidably but non-rotatably fitted on the quill 79. Discs 54, 55, 56, ill and 53 are of friction material, such as brake lining to induce or retard movement of one bobbin with relation to another. Between pairs of adjacent friction discs bobbins 6d, 6!, E2, are rotatably mounted about the quill it.

A cross slot is formed in the free end of spindle 5i and receives a key 660. for retaining the quill against axial movement. A hollow standard is mounted on the carrier 50 and extends parallel to spindle iii. It carries a guide arm 66 fixed to its upper end. An arm 6? is slidably mounted on standard 135 and is retained against rotation by a key 38 on the standard engaging a keyway in the arm 63. Disc 59 is formed with ratchet teeth on its upper face, each having an axial face and an inclined face. Arm 6'! is of cross-section complementary to one of the slots between the teeth. A compression coil spring ii encompasses the standard between the guide arm Ed and the slidable arm 67. A second compression coil spring 72 encompasses the quill it] between the nut 52 and; the lower disc 53. A guide bar 53 is fixed to the carrier parallel to standard 65 and has a plurality of guide eyes 13a, :Ssb, lilo, 'itid for individually guiding strands from the bobbins 6i 6!, 62, respectively. The strands are then grouped and pass collectively through the single guide 6512 on the outboard end of standard 65. The hollow standard 65 has elongated axial slots 65?) in opposite sides thereof. A collar i5 is slidably mounted on the standard and has a guide eye 76 thereon. A pin W is fixed to the collar and extends through the standard by way of the slots 6%. A compression coil spring l'ii is mounted in the bore of the hollow standard with one end resting against a cross pin 'l'El and the other end bearing against cross pin The grouped strands from the guide eye that are looped through the guide eye it on the sliding collar 75 and then pass through a guide eye 80 on arm 65 from which they pass to the braiding position. The arrangement is such that coil spring 18 tensions all the strands of the group and under increased resistance tending to overtension the strands the collar l5 can slide along the standard comprising the coil spring 78.

The bobbins are wound insuch a direction that in withdrawing the strands the disc 59 is urged in a direction to press the inclined faces of its teethe 5% toward the inclined face of arm 6'! or in a clockwise direction in Fig, 6. The arrangement is such that normally the ratchet arm Bl holds the disc 59 and consequently the quill it and brake discs 53, 55, 58, cl and fit against rotation but each of the bobbins liii, ea, 62 and 53 may turn under the pull of its strand against the frictional resistance of the brake discs. When the pull on any strand is too great, for example, of such magnitude as to endanger the strand, the pressure of springs H, i 2 is overcome and the inclined surface of the ratchet tooth 59a against arm til lifts arm i'i'l permitting quill It to rotate a notch and relieving the strain. Arm til then engages the next tooth of the disc 5t. Nut 52 may be adjusted to regulate the spring tension on the ratchet.

In both the illustrated embodiments of the invention, a plurality of strands are supplied from a single carrier and provision is made for release of tension when such tension becomes excessive on any one of the strands. In the form of the invention of Figs. 2 to 4 the tension on the overtensioned strand is reduced automatically by tightening of the bight of the strand at the eye 12, while in the embodiment of Figs. 5 and 6 such over-tensioning of any one of the strands automatically reduces tension of all the strands carried by the same carrier first by movement of the collar it against coil spring l8 and later if eX- cessive movement takes place, by lifting of arm '55 releasing ratchet disc 59 one tooth, the coil spring l8 preventing slack of the strands. Such release is 0111] momentary as the ratchet arm 2 engages the next tooth immediately.

Variations may be made without departing from the invention as it is defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A braiding machine comprising a carrier having means for supporting a plurality of bobbins for supplying individual strands, and tei sioning and guiding means on said carrier for regulating the tension of the group of strands supplied by said bobbins, said tensioning and guiding means comprising a single eye for guiding the group of strands collectively, means for simultaneously applying tension to all the bobbins, and means controlled by the tension of a bight of a strand for automatically relieving excessive tension upon at least one of the strands.

2. A braiding machine comprising a carrier having means for supporting a plurality of bob-- bins for supplying individual strands, and tensioning and guiding means on said carrier for regulating the tension of the group of strands supplied by said bobbins, said tensioning and guid ing means comprising a single eye for guiding the group of strands collectively, m ans for simultaneously applying tension to all the bobbins, and means controlled by the tension of a bight of a strand for automatically relieving excessive tension on that strand.

3. A braiding machine comprising a carrier having means for supporting a plurality of bobbins for supplying individual strands, and tensioning and guiding means on said carrier for regulating the tension of the group of strands supplied by said bobbins, said tensioning and guiding means comprising a single spindle for rotatably supporting in side by side relation a pin rality of bobbins, friction means adapted to restrain rotation of said bobbins, means for anchoring said friction means against rotation with said bobbins, and means for releasing the friction means from said last-named means when the tension of a strand becomes excessive.

4. A braiding machine comprising a carrier having means for supporting a, plurality of bobbins for supplying individual strands, and tensioning and guiding means on said carrier for regulating the tension of the group of strands supplied by said bobbins, said tensioning and guiding means comprising a single spindle for rotatably supporting in side by side relation a plurality of bobbins, brake means engaging a bobbin to tension the strand therefrom, and means controlled by the tension of a bight of said strand to automatically release the bobbins from .from one bobbin said brake means when the tension of said strand becomes excessive.

5. 'In a braiding machine a carrier comprising a plurality of bobbins each delivering a strand, means for guiding the strands together into a group thereof, and means mounting said bobbins for rotation individually and for rotation induced to another through friction therebetween.

6. In a machine for grouping strands from individual sources a plurality of bobbins, means mounting said bobbins for rotation individually and for rotation induced from one bobbin to another through iriction therebetween.

EDWARD A. DAVIS. 

